Alabama was the last team out of the playoff
Fox News Flash Top Sports Headlines for December 8
Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
The Alabama Crimson Tide were on the outside looking into the College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday after Clemson received the No. 12 seed and SMU got an at-large bid.
Alabama hoped the College Football Playoff selection committee would look at their overall body of work after conference championship weekend. The committee had Alabama as the No. 11 seed last week, but the Crimson Tide had nothing to play for on Saturday.
Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer during the game against the Mercer Bears at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Nov. 16, 2024. (Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images)
As a result of Clemson’s last-second win over SMU, both ACC schools received bids into the 12-team field. No. 11 SMU is set to hit the road to play No. 6 Penn State.
The college football world seemingly cheered as fans learned Alabama would miss the playoff.
ALABAMA OUT. pic.twitter.com/hMA48vS6UY
— Barstool Rocky Top (@BarstoolTenn) December 8, 2024
Do i think Alabama is a better team than SMU? Yes. But like Dan Lanning said “if you lose three regular season games? Shame on you.”
— Kayce Smith (@KayceSmith) December 8, 2024
The committee got it right.
If you think Alabama deserves a spot… they lost to 6-6 Vanderbilt and got blown out by 6-6 Oklahoma.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 8, 2024
Get a grip. At some point you have to rank teams based on the results on the field and not how good Nick Saban was.
Alabama left out of the 12 team playoff. 😂 pic.twitter.com/dKuB6QlfYY
— Erik Reed (@ErikReed) December 8, 2024
COMMITTEE GOT THIS RIGHT!
— Steve 🤙 (@SteveKBark) December 8, 2024
Bama tried pulling the "But we're Alabama" card and it didn't work for once.
— Terrence ✨️ (@KingTerrbear) December 8, 2024
Good.
Definitely deserved!
— ChargersMuse (@ChargersMuse) December 8, 2024
Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne made a pitch to the committee late Saturday.
"Strength of schedule matters," he wrote on X. "Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.
2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: OREGON, GEORGIA FAVORED AS CFP FIELD REVEALED
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe avoids a Tennessee defender, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Knoxville. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
"Six of our eight wins are against bowl eligible teams and have come against some of the top teams in the SEC, including SEC champion Georgia."
Byrne also included a graphic, showing that Alabama was No. 3 in opponents’ winning percentage, No. 17 in ESPN strength of schedule and had three wins against teams in the College Football Top 25 poll. The team finished 9-3 and had some brutal losses.
It’s the first year of the 12-team field for the College Football Playoff. The field expanded from four teams.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer during the LSU game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 9, 2024. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
The Crimson Tide were in last year’s playoff but fell to No. 1 Michigan, 27-20. It was Nick Saban’s last game as head coach. Kalen DeBoer took over before the start of the 2024 season.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
